Latest news with #affordablecare
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Helping Small Businesses Find Better Health Insurance Options
American businesses are struggling with health insurance options. Year over year, premium costs grow at rates in the high single digits – with some markets facing even steeper growth. Administrative complexity, denials of care and information gaps are increasingly commonplace. The standard fully insured products offered to small businesses – who employ about half of the U.S. workforce – are increasingly causing financial hardship and frustration among workers. Employers are limited in their ability to influence market dynamics in a way that would materially change or innovate insurance design. This is particularly true for small businesses who often feel trapped in a cycle of rising costs and limited affordable options. For example, if a hospital raises commercial rates because factors like increased labor costs, reductions in Medicaid eligibility or the need to invest in better technology, a small business leader has little recourse other than to drop the product. Yet offering health benefits is a central part of a company's culture and growth strategy. Consider a small business owner with about 10 employees. They care about the people working for them – as staff in a small business are typically seen as family. In addition, small businesses need to provide health insurance to attract the best talent, and this will continue to be the case in the future. Bringing more affordable, flexible benefit options needs to be a priority for all of us working in health care. As our team at Morgan Health has convened small businesses over the past year, we consistently hear that leaders seek more control over health insurance costs, and that they want to offer employees choice in selecting their own health plan. Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements offer a solution in many markets. ICHRAs (for short) were first introduced in 2020 – enabling employers to offer their employees a tax-free allowance to purchase health insurance plans on the individual marketplace. Small businesses represent the main cohort of ICHRA adopters to date. We expect this trend to continue. Based on early data and use cases, there is a business imperative to further scale and build upon this model. ICHRAs offer several advantages, including: ICHRAs enable employers to provide health insurance to their employees through subsidies – meaning that their stability and sustainability is dependent on a strong, robust individual insurance marketplace. Given that ICHRAs have shown promise in supporting small businesses, policymakers will need to prioritize efforts that support broader implementation. These priorities should include codifying the federal regulations that allow for the ICHRA offering, as well as policies that promote greater flexibility for employers and employees and reduce administrative burdens for employers who choose ICHRAs. In turn, this would expand health coverage and access across the U.S. – ensuring more Americans are enrolled in coverage that supports their health care needs and financial risk tolerance. It's commonly said that small businesses are the bedrock of the U.S. economy. Less acknowledged is the pivotal role of small business in supporting the US healthcare system. Health care stakeholders across the spectrum would be well served to support the needs of small business for quality and affordability, and to enable innovative models that deliver better options going forward. Growing ICHRA as an option for coverage can be a key element in this effort.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Trump administration may rescind mental health parity rule, filing says
May 12 - The Trump administration will not enforce a federal rule meant to ensure Americans with private health insurance have access to affordable mental health services and is considering rescinding it altogether, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing on Friday. The filing in U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., was in response to a lawsuit brought in January by the ERISA Industry Committee, which is representing large employers challenging the so-called mental health parity rule. The group says the rule limits their ability to provide affordable health benefits for workers. The parity rule became final in September. The DOJ requested U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly hold the lawsuit in abeyance while the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of the Treasury, and U.S. Department of Labor reconsider the rule. A spokesperson for HHS said the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation. Representatives for the other agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did representatives for the ERISA Industry Committee. In the filing, the DOJ noted that the ERISA Industry Committee consented to putting the lawsuit on hold as long as it can restart at any point. The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires insurers and corporate-backed health plans, which cover more than 175 million Americans, to provide access and payment structures for mental health care services on par with other medical services. But in practice that is often not the case, with less than half of U.S. adults with mental illness able to access care in 2020, according to former President Joe Biden's administration, which backed the regulation aimed at closing the gaps. The ERISA Industry Committee, whose members are generally companies with more than 10,000 employees, sued to challenge the rule in January, just days before President Donald Trump took office. It said the mandate could lead some plan sponsors to decide not to cover mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders at all. Ahead of a Monday deadline to respond to the lawsuit, the Trump administration provided the ERISA Industry Committee with a document outlining its plans to stop enforcing the rule. The agencies plan to reconsider the regulation as well, and may issue a notice of their plans to rescind or modify it, the DOJ said in the filing. The Labor Department regulates company-sponsored health plans under the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA. The case is ERISA Industry Committee v U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al., U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, No. 25-00136. For the government: Erika Oblea For the ERISA Industry Committee: Eugene Scalia, Matthew Rozen, Rebecca Smith, Robert Batista and Aaron Gyde of Gibson Dunn
bnok24
08-05-2025
- Business
- bnok24
Valu Announces Partnership with Vezeeta and Geidea to Offer Affordable Payment
Valu, MENA's leading universal financial technology powerhouse, announced today a collaboration with Vezeeta Lab, the Innovation Hub of MENA's leading health-tech platform Vezeeta, and Geidea, a renowned payment solutions provider. This partnership will help make healthcare services in Egypt more accessible, affordable, and seamless for millions of patients Valu continues strengthening its presence in the healthcare sector by partnering with Vezeeta, building on previous milestones to integrate fintech solutions into health-tech. This collaboration provides flexible payment plans through Geidea's cashless payment options to ease financial barriers to essential care. Central to this effort is Vezeeta's flagship program, Shamel, a subscription-based program offering high-quality healthcare services at significantly reduced prices. Valu will offer flexible payment plans for Shamel, different medical services, and pharmaceutical products, ensuring broader access to affordable healthcare Shamel provides discounts of up to 80% on a wide range of healthcare services. These include surgeries, laboratory tests and scans, doctor consultations, dentistry, and in-clinic services through a network of over 8,000 healthcare providers across Egypt. As Vezeeta rolls out online payment options across its network, Valu's flexible payment plans will also become available for various services, including doctor consultations, lab tests and scans, surgeries, and elective care Motaz Lotfy, Senior Director of Business Development and Partnerships at Valu, commented on the partnership, 'With 90% of Egypt's population lacking private health insurance coverage and incurring out-of-pocket healthcare expenses reaching USD 180 million annually, there is an urgent need for access to affordable healthcare solutions in the community. We are excited to leverage our fintech expertise alongside Vezeeta and Geidea to address this area. Together, we are creating new opportunities for Egyptians, enabling them to prioritize their health without facing financial strain. By integrating Valu's innovative solutions into the health-tech sector, we provide effective payment solutions and empower lives through a meaningful impact Ola Aly Eldin, Chief Operating Officer at Vezeeta, added, 'At Vezeeta, we believe that no one should have to choose between their health and financial burdens. The launch of Shamel and our collaboration with Valu and Geidea demonstrates our strong commitment to providing high-quality healthcare that is accessible and affordable. With the rising costs of healthcare services, many people face limited options for getting the care they need, Shamel steps in to drive affordability and make quality healthcare within reach for all segments of the Egyptian society in a full digital experience through Vezeeta App Choucri Asmar, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Vezeeta & Head of Vezeeta Lab, said, 'At Vezeeta Lab, we focus on partnerships and M&As that bring innovation supporting Vezeeta customers. In our commitment to merge fintech solutions with healthtech, this tripartite partnership between ValU, Geidea, and Vezeeta Lab will offer payment plans and cashless payment options with flexible financing, empowering millions of Egyptians to access the best healthcare without the financial burden Ahmed Nader, CEO of Geidea Egypt, commented, 'At Geidea Egypt, we provide innovative digital payment solutions that meet the evolving needs of the Egyptian market and promote financial inclusion. Our partnership with Valu and Vezeeta represents a significant step toward improving the digital payment experience, especially in the healthcare sector, by offering users seamless and secure payment options. This collaboration highlights our commitment to delivering advanced technological solutions that facilitate business growth and simplify financial transactions for businesses and consumers Google News تابعونا على تابعونا على تطبيق نبض
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
PetMeds And Dutch Team Up For Veterinary Care And Prescriptions
PetMeds and Dutch are bringing telemedicine to pets. Courtesy of Dutch PetMed Express Inc., the parent company of PetMeds and PetCareRx has entered a strategic partnership with virtual veterinary care provider Dutch to expand its provider ecosystem with affordable, accessible pet healthcare options. The new partnership will enable pet owners to leverage Dutch's technology and veterinary team to secure prescriptions for PetMeds' medications. Pet owners, through the partnership, can sign up for a monthly Dutch membership,which will allow them to connect virtually for appointments, which are available 24/7, with veterinarians in 34 states. Since its launch four years ago, Dutch has completed almost 700,000 visits and offers treatment options for more than 150 conditions, including providing flea and tick medication and treatments for allergies and joint pain. 'Because they're technologically advanced, because they're able to cover the majority of the country and because they have over 200 veterinarians of their own made us feel very comfortable with them,' Sandra Campos, CEO of PedMeds, said of Dutch. 'Technology has evolved and in this case Dutch has proven that they continue to improve the technologies and are able to implement them within our own web site, which will make it much more seamless for the customer where they don't have to go and log onto a whole new platform,' Campos added. Today, customers and pet owners can go to Dutch and get same-day care and talk to a veterinarian for less than $10 a month, less than the cost of a carton of eggs. The veterinarian is able to write a prescription, create a treatment plan and save consumers pain, time and money by getting them care right away. 'Dutch is a membership model,' said Joe Spector, founder and CEO. 'Think of it as Costco where you pay $120 for an annual membership and you get up to five pets covered, so up to five pets can be seen by the veterinarian at any time. We make money on the membership and the product partnership. In this case we would fulfill and make a margin on any products being purchased.' Consumer awareness and adoption of veterinary telehealth options have been accelerating as pet owners look for more affordable and accessible ways to keep their pets healthy and happy. Dutch's recently released '2025 State of Veterinary Care Report' found that 129 million Americans, or roughly 38% of the population, live in vet-care 'deserts'—underscoring the need for more accessible pet care options. Spector said the partnership could see tens of thousands of customers. There's almost 150 million pets in the U.S. and almost half get no care at all, according to Spector. 'We're talking about 75 million pets who could get help from a more affordable option,' he said. 'There's a lot of demand for pet telemedicine because it either can bring you peace of mind at the very least by speaking to a professional, not Dr. Google, and at the most, it saves you thousands of dollars of going to urgent care,' Spector said. And the veterinarians in the Dutch network are seasoned and experienced. The average vet has over 15 years on the job. 'This isn't someone who couldn't find a job or just got out of school,' Spector said. 'This is someone who has been seeing pets for years and has decided to practice telemedicine. Veterinarians have come to believe they can provide better care when they see a pet in the comfort of their own home. We see a lot of anxious dogs. They're not better served in person and neither are cats because they become a different animal.' Telehealth for people has continued to evolve and improve and grow as more consumers become accustomed to Zoom calls and telehealth. The same is true on the pet side where telehealth for peets is going to increase year-over-year and the popularity of pet insurance continues to grow, Campos said. She added that PetMeds and Dutch wanted to provide a one-stop shop of solutions for pet owners whether they need a prescription and don't have access to a veterinarian or can't get to a vet or they need something after hours or on weekends. 'We give them that option without having to leave our site,' she said. 'We know that pets are better off when you're providing them with preventative solutions and you're taking care of their health,' Campos said. 'Rather than all of a sudden being hit with a disease or being hit with a critical condition, and then you have much greater costs as well, it's going to be much better to sustain their care and their maintenance over time.'
